Decade-old RAM is making a comeback
Decade-old RAM is making a comeback
由于内存短缺，DDR4 内存正在回归，英特尔和 AMD 推出了支持旧款内存、插槽和芯片组的新型 CPU。
CPU 制造商已经注意到，看似无休止的内存价格上涨使得我们许多人难以升级个人电脑。他们的解决方案是什么？回归上一代 DDR4 内存。英特尔和 AMD 正在制造支持这种更旧、更实惠内存类型的新型 CPU。
On Friday, Gigabyte announced that two of its motherboard lines will support “upcoming” processors built on Intel’s LGA 1700 socket. That socket debuted in 2021 with the 12th gen Alder Lake CPUs and supported both DDR4 RAM and the then-new DDR5 RAM. Intel dropped it for a DDR5-only approach in 2024. But according to Gigabyte, the dual format support is now being revived, with new LGA 1700 chips “expected to launch in early 2027.”
周五，技嘉宣布其两条主板产品线将支持基于英特尔 LGA 1700 插槽的“即将推出”的处理器。该插槽于 2021 年随第 12 代 Alder Lake CPU 首次亮相，并同时支持 DDR4 内存和当时较新的 DDR5 内存。英特尔在 2024 年放弃了这种做法，转而采用仅支持 DDR5 的方案。但据技嘉称，这种双格式支持现在正在恢复，新的 LGA 1700 芯片“预计将于 2027 年初发布”。
This backtrack stems from LGA 1700’s cross-compatibility with both kinds of RAM — an advantage over its successor that’s recently become much more important. Intel’s strategy may be to offer users the choice of a new CPU that doesn’t require them to switch to new, and very expensive, DDR5 memory, too. AMD is doing something similar: in August, Gigabyte also announced a new series of motherboards for AMD’s last-gen, DDR4-compatible AM4 platform to go along with the 10th-anniversary relaunch of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU.
这种倒退源于 LGA 1700 对两种内存的交叉兼容性——这比其继任者更具优势，而这一优势最近变得更加重要。英特尔的策略可能是为用户提供一种新 CPU 的选择，让他们无需更换昂贵的 DDR5 内存。AMD 也在做类似的事情：8 月份，技嘉还宣布了一系列用于 AMD 上一代兼容 DDR4 的 AM4 平台的新主板，以配合 Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU 十周年纪念版的重新发布。
DDR4 started hitting the market in 2014 and has since been succeeded by the much faster DDR5. Under normal circumstances, buying new hardware to use technology that’s over a decade old would probably be a bad investment. But the RAM shortage is changing the math, with DDR4 RAM seemingly feeling the sting of price hikes much less than DDR5.
DDR4 于 2014 年开始进入市场，此后被速度更快的 DDR5 所取代。在正常情况下，购买新硬件来使用十多年前的技术可能是一项糟糕的投资。但内存短缺正在改变这一计算方式，DDR4 内存似乎比 DDR5 受价格上涨的影响要小得多。
I recently saw the price disparity first-hand while shopping around for new RAM after a DDR4 kit abruptly died on me. Right now, a DDR5 32GB Corsair Vengeance RAM kit costs $620, while the corresponding DDR4 kit costs $260. Even though it’s more than 32GB of DDR4 RAM typically cost back in mid-2025, that’s more than double the price for DDR5! Of course, DDR5 has significant advantages, like higher speeds and better power efficiency. But those perks might not be worth the current price of admission.
最近，在我的 DDR4 内存套件突然损坏后，我在选购新内存时亲眼目睹了这种价格差异。目前，一套 32GB 的海盗船复仇者 DDR5 内存售价为 620 美元，而相应的 DDR4 套件售价为 260 美元。尽管这比 2025 年年中 32GB DDR4 内存的典型价格要高，但 DDR5 的价格却是其两倍多！当然，DDR5 具有显著优势，例如更高的速度和更好的能效。但这些好处可能不值目前的入场费。
It could be years before prices drop again, a reality that’s starting to really sink in with the official return of older sockets and chipsets. But at least it’s a good time to hang onto your DDR4 RAM.
价格可能需要几年时间才能再次下降，随着旧插槽和芯片组的正式回归，这一现实开始真正显现出来。但至少现在是保留 DDR4 内存的好时机。